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E3 2017: The Biggest Surprise Games

E3 2017 may have been lighter on big surprises than most years, but that doesn't mean the show was completely devoid of shocking announcements. In fact, there were a number of standout moments from the various press conferences at E3 2017 that are sure to be remembered in the annals of gaming history.

From the impressive Beyond Good & Evil 2 cinematic trailer to Sony's unexpected Shadow of the Colossus remake reveal, here are the five biggest surprises of E3 2017.

5 Beyond Good & Evil 2

For well over a decade, fans have been waiting patiently to see Beyond Good & Evil 2. Then, nine months ago, concept art of the game was revealed, along with confirmation that it had resumed development. Going into E3, Beyond Good & Evil creator Michel Ancel tempered fan's expectations that the game would be at the show, saying that he wasn't sure that E3 would be the best place to showcase it.

As it turned out, Ancel was purposefully misleading fans to surprise them all with the game's first cinematic trailer at E3. While no gameplay footage was shown, the cinematic trailer set the stage for Beyond Good & Evil 2's story, and introduced the world to some of the new characters that will be debuting in the ambitious sci-fi adventure.

4 Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle Actually Looks Good

Another major E3 shocker at Ubisoft's E3 2017 press conference came in the form of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. The game itself was leaked months in advance, but what caught fans by surprise was that it actually looked like a fun, well-made game with loads of polish, even drawing comparisons to the critically-acclaimed XCOM franchise.

The Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle reveal was surprising for other reasons as well. For one, the game was introduced by Shigeru Miyamoto himself, making his first live E3 press conference appearance in years. Secondly, fans won't have to wait all that long to get their hands on the game, as Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is set to launch on August 29th as a Nintendo Switch exclusive.

3 Nintendo is Making Two Metroid Games

Nintendo dropped one of the biggest bombshells at E3 2017, and it did it just by showing a logo. While some may have preferred gameplay details or footage, others were satisfied with just knowing that Metroid Prime 4 is in active development for the Nintendo Switch. When we will actually see the game in action is anyone's guess, but at least Metroid fans no longer have to worry that the series is dead.

Nintendo solidified Metroid's return to the spotlight by not only announcing Metroid Prime 4, but revealing that a new Metroid game is coming to the 3DS as well. Metroid: Samus Returns is a remake of Metroid 2: Return of Samus, but it looks like it will be bringing plenty of original ideas to the table to help make the experience feel fresh.

2 Original Xbox Backward Compatibility

Microsoft made waves when it announced Xbox 360 backward compatibility, and it managed to do so again when it was announced that original Xbox backward compatibility would also be coming to the Xbox One. Similarly to Xbox 360 backward compatibility, fans can expect original Xbox games to perform better on the Xbox One, which should give them an excuse to revisit some of the console's classic titles.

1 Shadow of the Colossus Remake

Just hours before E3, Sony renewed its trademark for Shadow of the Colossus, fueling speculation as to what it might have in store for the franchise at the show. During Sony's press conference, a fully-fledged Shadow of the Colossus remake was announced, with vastly improved graphics courtesy of Bluepoint Games. While it's not a completely original game or a sequel like some may have hoped, the Shadow of the Colossus remake looked impressive in action, and seemed to be one of the most talked about games from Sony's lineup.

While some may have been disappointed with the number of surprise announcements at E3 2017, there was still enough to make it a memorable event. After all, who would have thought that Ubisoft was going to close out its press conference with Beyond Good & Evil 2, especially since series creator Michel Ancel said the game wasn't going to be at E3 at all? And who could have predicted that Nintendo would announce not one, but twoMetroid games at the show?

Overall, E3 2017 was a decent show with just enough surprises to leave many fans satisfied. But with many games skipping this year's show, like Halo 6, The Last of Us: Part 2, whatever Rocksteady is developing, and more, E3 2018 has potential to be an even bigger event with more surprise game reveals and announcements.

What was the most surprising moment of E3 2017 for you? Leave us your thoughts in the comments below.